1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the art of information processing. It finds particular application in key-based database systems such as relational databases, network databases, hierarchical databases, and the like, and will be described with particular reference thereto. However, the present invention is useful in many other types of key-based digital data storage and digital data processing systems.
2. Description of Related Art
Databases are commonly employed for storing large quantities of similar or dissimilar data on digital systems. These databases typically follow a particular data model defined by database-specific features such as the selection of tables and table fields containing fields of the database, the data types of the various database fields, and so forth. In a key-based database system, one or more key columns are included in each table to associate the fields of a given database record across tables and table columns.
In addition to the data model, the database system architecture defines other operational characteristics of the database. For example, the database system typically will incorporate or be compatible with certain data operators that are available for combining, comparing, sorting, retrieving, or otherwise manipulating the various columns of data. Relational databases and some other databases are commonly configured to be manipulated using structured query language (SQL) queries.
Still further, the stored data itself further defines operational characteristics of the database. For example, text-based data is stored in a selected language, such as English, French, or so forth. Numeric quantities may be stored in particular units, such as monetary U.S. dollars or European euros. Time values may be specific to a particular time zone.
The effect of these various factors is to constrain a user or database application programmer to interact with the database using a rigid and inflexible format. Input data or queries are configured or structured in the language used for the textual data of the database, and receive search results or other database output in that language. If the database is in French, for example, then a user who inputs data in English or constructs queries in English will generally cause or receive adverse results. Similarly, database searching is limited to the available data operators, SQL commands, or other available search tools, and search parameters must be inputted in the language used for text entries of the database. Still further, the user dialog box displays field names and other descriptive text in the database language, making it difficult or impossible for a user unfamiliar with that language to successfully interact with the database.
An application programmer who wants to add additional functionality to the database has to write extensive code to implement the additional functionality. Moreover, this extensive code must be incorporated into each database application that accesses the additional functionality. In a typical commercial setting, the database system is provided by a first software vendor, the database is constructed in-house, and various database application programs are optionally provided by third party vendors. Each vendor develops separate and distinct programming code for extending functionality of the database in different ways, which introduces difficulties in cross-vendor software compatibility and forces the database user to deal with various different user interfaces. Moreover, there may be substantial difficulty in adapting a given commercial application program to the existing data model defined by the tables and their structure.
This situation has substantial disadvantages. Users are restricted to employing the language and vocabulary of the database and database system in inputting, searching, or otherwise manipulating the database. Data typing of user input is limited, which may allow the user to input uninterpretable data into the database. Similarly, inappropriate data typing in search construction can result in faulty search results such as missed database records due to mismatches between the constructed search pattern and the format of data stored in the database. For example, a search that does not account for leading white space may miss textual data that includes one or more leading spaces.
The present invention contemplates an improved method and apparatus which overcomes these limitations and others.